The What's For Dinner Thread - March '11 (recipe index in OP)

[PrincessInOz]

Flyday evening after work here! Just got home about half an hour ago. I went to an ex-work colleagues farewell drinks tonight. After 25 years service, he's been given the redundancy and his farewell was tonight. Sad to see experience like that walk out the door.


Becky - what lens did you get?

Kat - sorry about the truck and the TV. Hope that you don't get as much rain as they expect...

Sheryl - stay safe too.

Janice - me too. I haven't been sleeping well and am pretty tired. Hoping for a good night's sleep tonight. Hope you slept well last night.

Jen - look after yourself!

Aimee - dove hunting?? I wonder if they have such a thing in Melbourne....will need to google that when I have the chance.

Laura - the zooquarium sounds fascinating. And I'm going to keep adding the spice back to our menus!

Nancy - sorry to read about poor Otto. I wish them all peace.


Marilyn - Film seems so much easy to manage from a processing perspective. Just hand over a counter, come back and collect (after payment).



Just waiting for the boys to come home with take-away fish and chips for dinner. Have a good day all.

 

[HERSEY]

I gor caught up!

We had leftovers this evening, I was at a fitting.

We got the bad news that we all have been dreading. Debbie had to put little Otto to sleep today Kim told Marisa. I called but her phone went straight to VM. Debbie is so very sensitive, this is going to be very hard on her. I guess Kim called to tell her she was coming up but Deb told her she was not up to it

I am sorry to hear Debbie is taking this so hard. Otto had very good people taking care of him.

I need to do some running around tonight after work. I rather do my errands then and not have to do them on the weekend.

I hope and pray the storm in the Gulf is not to bad. Maybe some of that rain can be sent to Aimee.

 

[Nancyg56]

I am worrying about my Gulf Coast friends

Jen- rest this weekend

Janice- I like to get my errands done before the weekend but my time management is pretty awful lately

Laura- wishing the kids a great first day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Aimee- Dove hunting? Are they the mourning doves we have up here?

Princess- It is never good when you see peers who are so experienced leaving. I think it is sad that some employers do not place a high value on that level of service.

Sheryl- You must miss that bright little face when she is not with you. Has she done any cooking lately?

Kat- I hope this weekend is a little better for you

Laauren- YUMMMMMMMMM Pork Chops done better!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We had leftovers last night. Buddy is going to turn into a tomato sandwich I think.

I am annoyed in general lately, My dryer is screeching like a banshee and I have asked Buddy to check the belt. Yesterday I was scared of it and ended up at the laundromat to dry my clothes. He has been supposed to fix it for almost a year I am not going to be sympathetic if we need a new one now!

Dinner is going to be whatever I feel like after work.

ETA: thank you all for thinking of Deb and Otto. I have passed your thought on to gail and Deb when I get to speak with her. Also- for those of you on FB, I have shared a few of Timmy's pictures he posted from his fishing boat. He is the handsome guy with the huge smile..

 

[Rogue26]

Princess- "Interesting" is the right word to use for the Zooquarium. I don't live to far from it. My kiddo loves to feed the llamas there too. It's very small with a very small budget, but still a fun thing to do.

Aimee- Hope your husband had fun even if it wasn't a success. I never understood how there could be anything left after they were shot.

Nancy- I'm sorry about Otto, thinking of Debbie.

Laura- Our dinner was just as healthy but yours sounds better. I took the kiddo and a friend mini golfing last night. We had ice cream and Wendy's for dinner. Glad they had fun at the zooquarium, we haven't been in a few years and will havve to check it out again.

Okay, I really need to get ready for work. Have a great day all.

 

[Glynis]

I gor caught up!

We had leftovers this evening, I was at a fitting.

We got the bad news that we all have been dreading. Debbie had to put little Otto to sleep today Kim told Marisa. I called but her phone went straight to VM. Debbie is so very sensitive, this is going to be very hard on her. I guess Kim called to tell her she was coming up but Deb told her she was not up to it

I'm so sorry to hear this! That's never an easy decision to make. Hugs and Prayers for Debbie.

 

[liamsaunt]

Nancy, I am sorry for Deb that she had to let Otto go.

Thinking of all my NOLA ladies today! I heard on the radio that you might get 20 inches of rain in this storm! Not fun! John and I were on St. John last summer when a tropical depression formed right over us. It was NOT fun. It dumped 22 inches of rain in less than 24 hours. There was massive flooding and road damage, and parts of the resort we were staying at had to be evacuated. I hope you all make out OK!!

Princess, it is not an expensive lens: the 50mm f/1.8.

Nancy, I hope your dryer is fixed soon. Tell Buddy if he doesn't fix it, HE can haul the wet clothes to the laundromat!

I got home really late last night so just made pasta. I should have just gotten take out.

WFD: not sure. John and I are getting together with Laura and I am waiting to hear from her as to what she is in the mood for.

 

[TigerKat]

Jen – It takes a while for your body to recover from a surgery. Take advantage of the long weekend and rest up!

Laura – Sounds like y’all had a great day at the Zooquarium. Love Liam’s “dinner” comment.

Nan – I’m so sad to hear about Otto. I know how hard that decision is and I know how her heart is breaking. Sending love and hugs.

WFD - Had to cancel our dinner reservations last weekend because I had a stomach bug and I re-scheduled it for tonight. We'll have to see how bad the weather deteriorates later today.

The tropical depression is predicted to be TS Lee by this afternoon. If it would just move it's lazy self, we'd be OK but it's supposed to just sit on the coast and dump on us.

 

[Aimeedyan]

Aimee- Dove hunting? Are they the mourning doves we have up here?

Um, according to my Google search it seems like they are mourning doves. They are brown, fairly large, and usually really abundant. I think the drought has hurt some areas this year, though.


I posted on FB that some ******* in S Carolina stole my debit card number and has cleaned us completely out (into the overdraft). Totally ticked off. It'll all be replaced by the bank but since it's a holiday weekend, and the charges are still pending, we're scrambling to have any money until then. I'm so surprised at how many thieves there really are. You know?

We have restaurant week reservations tonight at a super fancy pricey restaurant. I'm really excited!

ETA: I'm sad that we can't say *******. It's one of my favorite words. And so fitting for this person!

 

[Goofyluver]

I gor caught up!

We had leftovers this evening, I was at a fitting.

We got the bad news that we all have been dreading. Debbie had to put little Otto to sleep today Kim told Marisa. I called but her phone went straight to VM. Debbie is so very sensitive, this is going to be very hard on her. I guess Kim called to tell her she was coming up but Deb told her she was not up to it

It's so hard to lose a furry family member. Sending her good thoughts.

And a personal message just for you:

I love watching you post on the threads on the CB. That is all.

Um, according to my Google search it seems like they are mourning doves. They are brown, fairly large, and usually really abundant. I think the drought has hurt some areas this year, though.


I posted on FB that some ******* in S Carolina stole my debit card number and has cleaned us completely out (into the overdraft). Totally ticked off. It'll all be replaced by the bank but since it's a holiday weekend, and the charges are still pending, we're scrambling to have any money until then. I'm so surprised at how many thieves there really are. You know?

We have restaurant week reservations tonight at a super fancy pricey restaurant. I'm really excited!

ETA: I'm sad that we can't say *******. It's one of my favorite words. And so fitting for this person!

Within the last month or two, this happened to me. They totally cleaned me out into an overdraft as well. Without divulging too many details, I'll say they did pretty well for themselves. The charges came out of some country overseas. I was devastated. The bank took care of it, but it took a few days. I wonder how people survive who don't have other means of paying for things, kwim? What *******s!

It'll be fine. I know how frustrating it is though!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It's a three-day weekend!!!!!

UncleR and I have date-night tomorrow night and the rest of the weekend I'm sleeping!

We had the bangin' shrimp tonight in tacos. It was my first time trying that recipe, and OMG. I don't know which of you posted that recipe, but I want to give you a hug.

Hope everyone has a good weekend!

 

[PrincessInOz]

Good morning everyone. It's already after 11 am here and I had a reasonable trip out to the market this morning. DH is going to Silicon Valley for a week next Saturday and I wanted to just stock up on a few things. Not that I really needed much because my freezer is pretty full; but there were just 'gaps' that I wanted to fill.

My friends that I go to the market with didn't make it this morning; so there was no breakfast treat either. Instead, I ate food at the market on the run.

Today, I'm planning on heading outside to weed the garden and start preparing for spring/summer growing. Its been a couple of years since I've planted any vegies - mostly because we've been on water restrictions for the last 6 years or so - but this year, we've had a decent amount of rain and there are rumours that our water restrictions might be relaxed in a couple of months. So, I'm going to bet on that happening....given that we've gone from 29% dam capacity to 62% dam capacity in the last year, the odds are almost unbackable for a relaxation of the restrictions.

Kat - I'll be thinking of you and everyone else that lives in that NOLA area. Take care and stay dry.


Aimee - I hope you enjoy your dinner. I'm so sorry about your debit account. Skimming and fraud is also on the increase in Oz and everyone is being advised on being vigilant. And then we find out that there are now machines capable of skimming your card just by them being close to your card....no physical contact necessary!
I hope your funds gets returned quickly and I'm sure your bank is better than ours.....ours would charge the interest for the overdraft because it is calculated "automatically" and unless we kick up a stink, they don't automatically reverse it either!


Jen- enjoy your 3 day weekend.


Becky - I have a similar lens. I'm shooting Canon and I seem to think that you posted that you had a Nikon? In any event, I took a similar nifty fifty to WDW in October last year and spent some time learning about that lens. As you've mentioned, it has nice bokeh but can produce pictures with shallow depth of field. I loved it in dark rides (although it was not really wide enough for me) and for taking fireworks around the castle; and it is fantastic for portraits. Are you using it in automatic modes or shooting in manual?


WFDT? I have no idea. I have a craving for rice porridge. I have some salted duck eggs that I 'salted' myself that would be perfect with rice porridge. If I cook the rice porridge, I might need to go get some pickled mustard and cook that dish again. It is nice to have with it. If I don't have the rice porridge, I have some dory fish fillets that I'll cook up for dinner instead.

Have a good day everyone.

 

[bigmerle1966]

Well, it was a great end to a hectic week. Our boys won their game! My middle godsons football team did great tonight winning 26 to 0. It was great to watch this team work together and dominate. Lets hope they can keep it together and we don't have a repeat of last year.

And someone did tell my BFF that the team they played was supposed to be pretty good.

My sis and DN's came up today, the girls don't have school till Tuesday, so they got to come to the game and we ended the night at Red Robin for dinner.

 

[Rogue26]

Kathy- I hope Lee gets moving and is quickly out of there. I'll be keeping you all in my thoughts.

Aimee- That really stinks. I hope your bank is able to get it taken care of quickly. It's happened to way to many people I know, but it's usually with credit cards and I think that's a much easier fix.

Okay, got to get ready for work. Not sure on dinner, either grilled steak or chicken and sides.

 

[TigerKat]

Quick fly by...we still have power, over 10" of rain already and several tornado warnings so far. Hoping to have blackened tilapia and lemon spaghetti for dinner tonight.

 

[HERSEY]

I am taking a rest from my yard work. It is supposed to rain here this afternoon. I need to weed so the rain can get to my plants

Kathy Glad you still have power,that is a good thing. However the 10 inch part is not so good.

WFD is beer brined chicken garlic mashed potatoes and something green.

 

[Aimeedyan]

Well, it was a great end to a hectic week. Our boys won their game! My middle godsons football team did great tonight winning 26 to 0. It was great to watch this team work together and dominate. Lets hope they can keep it together and we don't have a repeat of last year.

And someone did tell my BFF that the team they played was supposed to be pretty good.

My sis and DN's came up today, the girls don't have school till Tuesday, so they got to come to the game and we ended the night at Red Robin for dinner.

Dinner last night was so delicious! Do y'all have "restaurant week" in your areas? This was a 3 course for $35. GREAT deal, esp at this restaurant when the steak ala carte is ~$45 and the restaurant week option included a filet.

This afternoon I'm finally getting to see The Help - a few girlfriends are meeting me.

Tonight I've been informed there is a big game on so he'll be upstairs on the jumbo TV. My plan is to make shrimp, pineapple, and black bean foil packets on the grill but make them into soft tacos and serve mexican rice alongside. that is, if I go by the store for shrimp.

Thinking of those who you affected by this tropical storm!!

 

[Goofyluver]

Kat- Stay safe and dry please. Hoping you keep your power.

Aimee- When does restaurant week end? What restaurant did you end up going to? Maybe I can drag my wife out of the house.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well, we pushed our date back until Monday. I'm just too tired. Plus, Monday is supposed to only be in the 80's! So we're taking a lunch date. But it is date-night in. We're watching movies!

Tonight's dinner is pork potstickers. I'll post the recipe and pics later. These are super easy and delicious! Our family loves them!

Hope you're all having a wonderful weekend!

 

[shovan]

Hey y'all,

I haven't read back except for this page. Just wanted to check in & let y'all know all is okay down here. I see Kathy did that.

It really hasn't been too bad. We've had 11 inches in my neighborhood, some high winds but not too bad.
The biggest pain was the phone calls from the parish (county) all night long with tornado warning. It was the first time we've had that. So the first one, of course I jump out of bed, start getting Bob dressed. Listening for that freight train sound... after the 5th call, just trying to sleep! So we slept from 5am-10am.

I cooked chili last night. So far we had a late breakfast.

Janice, I finally got my french toast!

French toast & bacon. The smell of bacon still in the house is making me hungry again. Going figure out what else to cook, maybe something that starts with bacon fat.

 

[Nancyg56]

Nancy, I hope your dryer is fixed soon. Tell Buddy if he doesn't fix it, HE can haul the wet clothes to the laundromat!

.

Now that would be a sight to see!!

ETA: I'm sad that we can't say *******. It's one of my favorite words. And so fitting for this person!

I saw that on FB, I am so sorry! You kill me though Aimee!

And a personal message just for you:

I love watching you post on the threads on the CB. That is all.

UncleR and I have date-night tomorrow night and the rest of the weekend I'm sleeping!

!

Then I have done m job

I saw that date night was posrponed. Some of the best dates are at home

I have to tell you that every time I see UR I giggle. Marisa used to have a friend whose little boy always stayed with me when she needed a break. She never left him with a babysitter and had very little support. He always called me Uncle Nancy for some unknown reason

Well, it was a great end to a hectic week. Our boys won their game! My middle godsons football team did great tonight winning 26 to 0. It was great to watch this team work together and dominate. Lets hope they can keep it together and we don't have a repeat of last year.

And someone did tell my BFF that the team they played was supposed to be pretty good.

My sis and DN's came up today, the girls don't have school till Tuesday, so they got to come to the game and we ended the night at Red Robin for dinner.

Best weekend ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Congrats for the kids!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Quick fly by...we still have power, over 10" of rain already and several tornado warnings so far. Hoping to have blackened tilapia and lemon spaghetti for dinner tonight.

Oh Kat- in my storm mind it would be sandwiches You all stay safe!

I am taking a rest from my yard work. It is supposed to rain here this afternoon. I need to weed so the rain can get to my plants

I started cleaning up outside after I scrubbed the front porch. Needless to say.the weeds are still in charge

This afternoon I'm finally getting to see The Help - a few girlfriends are meeting me.

I have been reading it so that Marisa and I can go see it. I hope you enjoy it!

Hey y'all,

I haven't read back except for this page. Just wanted to check in & let y'all know all is okay down here. I see Kathy did that.

Stay safe!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am tired and so I am not cooking. I did go shopping though, tomorrow is Nola's birthday and I have a Christening as well.

 

[liamandcaili]

I am on my own this weekend, so my family is feeding me. I think my mom worries that I wouldn't eat if left on my own. I am not complaining though. Last night, I had grilled bronzini, smashed white wine potatoes, pole beans (tried them again...still didn't like them), and tomato salad at Beck's. It was really good, but the bronzini was very bony. Today, my mom made lobster rolls, which were delicious. I would put her lobster roll up against any restaurant, any day. Tomorrow we are having...more fish! It's a mixed grill with tuna, swordfish and halibut. I am not sure of sides yet. The kiddos return tomorrow, so they'll have fish tacos.

Nancy -- I am sorry about Otto.

Kathy and Sheryl -- Stay safe!

Maybe some of that rain can be sent to Aimee.

That is what we keep saying!

"Interesting" is the right word to use for the Zooquarium.

I do have to admit that I almost didn't pull in to the parking lot. Caili really did enjoy it though. I think it was a little too young for Liam, but he was a sport. I would have asked you about it, but it was a last minute decision to take them there.

Aimee -- I am sorry about your debit card. I had that happen to my credit card earlier this year. I am not sure why the bank kept processing all of these charges from overseas, but they did, even though it was over the credit limit! Anyway, they did refund all the charges and the interest. It just took a while. I hope the issue is resolved quickly for you.

GI have some salted duck eggs that I 'salted' myself that would be perfect with rice porridge.

Beck made salted eggs once, but she was nervous about trying them. They had been in the refrigerator for months.

Well, it was a great end to a hectic week. Our boys won their game!

Yay! Congrats!

Do y'all have "restaurant week" in your areas?

Boston does Restaurant Week. Some people love it for the deals, but a lot of people hate it for the crowds and the fact that many of the restaurants don't offer items off their usual menu during Restaurant Week. There is research involved to find out which places are a good choice. I'm glad you enjoyed your dinner!

 

[Goofyluver]

Then I have done m job

I saw that date night was posrponed. Some of the best dates are at home

I have to tell you that every time I see UR I giggle. Marisa used to have a friend whose little boy always stayed with me when she needed a break. She never left him with a babysitter and had very little support. He always called me Uncle Nancy for some unknown reason

Yes, you certainly are doing your job!

Our outside date night was postponed, but we've already enjoyed a movie at home today. We watched "The Fighter", and it was fabulous!

And Uncle Nancy!

I am on my own this weekend, so my family is feeding me. I think my mom worries that I wouldn't eat if left on my own. I am not complaining though. Last night, I had grilled bronzini, smashed white wine potatoes, pole beans (tried them again...still didn't like them), and tomato salad at Beck's. It was really good, but the bronzini was very bony. Today, my mom made lobster rolls, which were delicious. I would put her lobster roll up against any restaurant, any day. Tomorrow we are having...more fish! It's a mixed grill with tuna, swordfish and halibut. I am not sure of sides yet. The kiddos return tomorrow, so they'll have fish tacos.

I love lobster rolls and am thoroughly jealous!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We made pork potstickers for dinner.

Pork and Ginger Potstickers

Ingredients:

PORK AND GINGER FILLING:

2 cups chopped napa cabbage
1/2 pound ground pork (Don't get lean pork, the fat is good for juicy and flavorful dumplings)
2 tablespoons minced ginger
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons thin soy sauce
3 tablespoons sesame oil
1 egg
1 to 2 cups chicken stock or water

You will also need wonton wrappers.

In a large bowl, mix all ingredients except the stock or water. I let this sit for a few hours in the fridge to allow the flavors to meld.

Place a small mound of filling in the middle of the wrapper. Use water to "line" the outside of the wrapper. Fold the wrapper in half and pinch edges together. The water helps to ensure a seal. (I've also done these in little purse folds)

In a hot saute pan coated well with oil, place pot stickers down and cook until the bottom is browned. Have pan cover ready and add enough chicken stock to cover the bottom of the pan, cover immediately. Be careful, the liquid will splatter! The stock will steam the pot stickers. Check them in 3-4 minutes. All of the stock should have evaporated.

Sometimes, if they hang onto the grease, I drain them on a paper towel.

Serve with soy sauce or other asian dipping sauce if desired!







Hope everyone is enjoying their Saturday evening!